CCGC Eases Water Board Compliance
Membership
materials are now available to join the Central Coast Groundwater Cooperative
(CCGC). CCGC’s groundwater monitoring plan was recently accepted by the
Regional Board for grower/landowners in Monterey, San Benito, Santa Cruz and
Santa Clara counties.
If a
landowner/grower selects the cooperative approach on their EPA Electronic
Notice of Intent (eNOI), they still need to submit a membership application to
CCGC. Those who selected the individual well monitoring option can now switch
to the cooperative program based on a recent action by the Regional Water
Board.
The Program Welcome Letter states member
dues will support the sampling of drinking water wells throughout Monterey,
Santa Clara, San Benito and Santa Cruz counties on farm property owned or
leased by members.
Sampling
will occur September 2013 through August 2014, with follow-up nitrate source
identification continuing into 2016-17.
CCGC
combines member resources to achieve economies of scale to comply with the
regulatory requirements of the Central Coast Regional Water Board.
CCCG
has already accomplished what individual growers/landowners could not do alone;
it has illustrated to the Regional Water Board that a one mile square blurring
of well locations is protective and important such that staff is recommending
that the Board amend the Monitoring and Reporting Plan (MRP) and the Order to
make the rule for all growers, regardless of whether they’re in CCGC or
monitoring individually.
CCGC
provides long-term security of individual well monitoring information,
fulfilling the need for accurate information to be used as a basis for the next
Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program (ILRP). Negotiations are expected to begin
in 2014.
CCGC
uses experts in groundwater to create an accurate characterization of the
aquifers covered by the plan, using science-based, and aggregated reporting.
The
Grower-Shipper Association of Central California, Western Growers, and the Farm
Bureaus of Monterey, San Benito, Santa Cruz and Santa Clara Counties created
CCCG.
There are three upcoming informational workshops on this program:
Wednesday, September 4 @ 9:00 - 11:00 a.m. at the Monterey County
Agricultural Commissioner's Conference Center - 1428 Abbott St., Salinas
Wednesday, September 4 @ 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. at Santa Cruz Farm
Bureau - 141 Monte Vista, Watsonville
Thursday, September 5 @
9-11 a.m. at Veterans of Foreign Wars - 58 Monterey St., San Juan Bautista
Contact Abby Taylor-Silva at 831-422-8844 or Parry Klassen at 831-240-9533 with
any questions.
Labels: CCGC, Central Coast Groundwater Cooperative, eNOI, ILRP, Monitoring and Reporting Plan, Monterey, MRP, regional water board, San Benito, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz